For some students, it's hard enough just getting through high school. But can you imagine taking college courses at the same time, and passing them? That's the goal and the success story of students from nine high schools.

In a midday journalism class at Catonsville High School, two graduating seniors, Shiza Tanveer and Kayln Clark, are telling their own stories. For now, you could say they're seniors and juniors at the same time: Seniors in high school and about to become juniors in college.

"It was definitely hard at times. There were some semesters that you had to overload on the work and you had to stay up all-nighters," Tanveer said.

They signed up for the Diploma to Degree program in 2011 based on their test scores and success in the classroom.

"At first, I was kind of skeptical, like, going to college for free, that seems too good to be true, but once I looked into it, I was really excited for the opportunity," Clark said.

It's an opportunity they couldn't turn down.

"I still can't believe it. It doesn't feel like three years have passed or four years of high school. I've been in the program for three years and it doesn't feel like it. I feel like I was just inducted into the program," Tanveer said.

"They exemplify what we want out of students and that is to be able to be able to take rigorous classes and not to be afraid to go over and take a college level class and the (Community College of Baltimore County) is certainly one of the best community colleges in the state," said William Heiser, principal at Catonsville High School.

There were other challenges that went along with juggling high school and college.

"I think I'm good at managing my time, so it wasn't that hard. It was just the transportation part that was the most difficult, getting back and forth from here to there and back here," Clark said.

But it'll pay off in a few weeks when they pick up two diplomas, one from Catonsville High School and the other from the CCBC.

"They will walk into their transfer institutions with 60 credits all ready to finish a bachelor's degree, ideally, in two years," said Sandra Kurtinitis, president of CCBC.

The college graduation ceremony is set for May 31. Sixteen of the 18 high school students in the program will graduate with honors from CCBC. Four of them have a perfect 4.0 grade point averages.

IN TONIGHT'S EDUCATIONAL OR, MORE THAN A DOZEN BALTIMORE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL GRADUATE WITH NOT ONE, BUT TWO DIPLOMAS. ONE FROM HIGH SCHOOL, AND ONE FROM COLLEGE. IT IS ALL PART OF A PROGRAM CALLED D TO D, STANDING FOR FROM DIPLOMA TO DO GREAT. YOU IMAGINE NOT JUST TAKING COLLEGE COURSES, BUT PASSING THEM? THAT IS THE STORY FOR LOCALIZED SCHOOLS. TWO GRADUATING SENIORS ARE LITERALLY TELLING THEIR OWN STORIES. THEY ARE SENIORS AND JUNIORS AT THE SAME TIME. SENIORS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND ABOUT TO BECOME JUNIORS IN COLLEGE. IT WAS DEFINITELY HARD SOMETIMES. THERE ARE SOME SEMESTERS WHERE YOU HAVE TO OVERLOAD ON THE WORK . YOU HAVE TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT. THE DEGREE PROGRAMMING -- THEY WERE ACCEPTED INTO THE DEGREE PROGRAM BACK IN 2011. AT FIRST I WAS SKEPTICAL. GOING TO COLLEGE FOR FREE, THAT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. BUT I WAS EXCITED FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. AN OPPORTUNITY THEY COULD NOT TURN DOWN. IT HAS GONE BY SO FAST. I FEEL LIKE WE JUST GOT INDUCTED INTO THE PROGRAM. FIRST, THEY EXEMPLIFY WHAT WE WANT IN OUR STUDENTS. TO BE ABLE TO TAKE RIGOROUS CLASSES AND NOT BE AFRAID TO TAKE A COLLEGE-LEVEL CLASS. AND CBBC IS ONE OF THE BEST COLLEGES IN THE STATE. I THINK I AM PRETTY GOOD AT MANAGING MY TIME. IT WAS NOT -- THE HARDEST PART WAS THE TRANSPORTATION PART. GETTING FROM HERE TO THERE TO BACK HERE. BUT IT WILL PAY OFF IN A FEW WEEKS WHEN A PICKUP TWO DIPLOMAS. ONE FROM THEIR HIGH SCHOOL AND THE OTHER FROM THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF BALTIMORE COUNTY. THEY WILL WALK INTO THEIR INSTITUTION WITH 60 CREDITS ALREADY TO FINISH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IDEALLY IN TWO YEARS. THEY ALSO FACE A SLIGHT CHALLENGE -- WHO TO INVITE TO THE GRADUATION CEREMONIES AND THE PARTIES TO FOLLOW. THE COLLEGE GRADUATION CEREMONY IS SET FOR MAY 31. 16 OF THE 18 HIGH SCHOOL

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